Author: Andy Cullen

Andy has been actively involved in CAMRA since the early 2000s after being recruited to sit on a National Younger Members Task Group. Since then he has held roles on the branch committee including Secretary, Membership Secretary, Magazine Editor, Chair and now Social Secretary. Andy has also been involved with the Steel City Beer & Cider Festival almost every year since becoming active in the branch.

New home for Stancill Brewery

Posted on by Andy Cullen
Knight Frank has boosted Sheffield’s burgeoning independent real ale sector by finding a perfect home for the city’s newest brewery. The Stancill Brewery, which uses equipment bought from the historic Oakwell Brewery, needed a base and the Knight Frank Sheffield office found the ideal spot – complete with high quality water for the finest beer. Kane Yeardley, founder of the fast-expanding Forum Café Bar group, is one of four investors in the new venture at Parkwood Industrial Estate in Neepsend, along with business partners Adam Hague, Thomas Gill and the brewer Johnny Stancill. Within six months of visiting the site, and after set-up, the inaugural pint was pulled and it has already earned plaudits from real ale fans. The Stancill Barnsley Bitter brewed on the site won the Champion Bitter of Yorkshire award at the Rotherham Camra Magna Real Ale Festival last week against tough competition from 250 beers from around the UK. Kane says Knight Frank was crucial in making the right deal happen in a tight time-frame. Kane said: “We had to move quickly to find a unit to move the brewing kit into. I looked at a number of units then Rebecca Schofield from Knight Frank, showed me Parkwood and it fitted our requirements. It was not just about the water, but the right deal at Parkwood which Rebecca offered. “The landlord, Aviva Investors, had a simple, fast legal department to first sort out a licence to occupy, and then the lease.” The unit on Parkwood Industrial Estate on Rutland Way in Sheffield is close to the former Stones Cannon Brewery at Neepsend, an area known for its high quality H20 and the centre of Sheffield’s brewery renaissance, which is receiving global acclaim. Kane added: “The unit was exactly the right size and height to house the brewing equipment. Most importantly, the water is of very good quality. It’s why many other distinguished breweries are located in the area.” Rebecca Schofield, partner at the Sheffield office of Knight Frank, who acted on behalf of Aviva, said: “The ongoing refurbishment of the units means they offer flexible manufacturing and warehousing space which is proving attractive to a variety of businesses. Let’s all raise a glass to the success of the brewery on the site.” The brewery joins a variety of local and national companies located at Parkwood Industrial estate following the success of recent lettings including Steel City Cars, GB Eye, Plumbase, Tool Station and Antiquity, where Knight Frank and Campbell and Co have advised the landlord. KF Stancill Brewery Mar 14

Meet Springhead Brewer at Sheaf View

Posted on by Andy Cullen
From 6pm on Monday 28th of April the Sheaf View will be hosting a ‘Meet the Brewer Night’ with Springhead Brewery. We’ll have a range of Springhead beers available on the bar to try with the brewers who will be there to answer questions, talk you though the brewing process and give tastings and raffles to give away prizes including Springhead gift packs, brewery tours and tutored tastings. The event is free and should be a fantastic night.

Yorkshire’s Real Heritage Pubs

Posted on by Andy Cullen
The new edition of the CAMRA book, Yorkshire’s Real Heritage Pubs: Pub Interiors of Special Historic Interest  is due to be launched in May.  This illustrated book includes a number of Sheffield entries: The Bath Hotel, The Cross Keys (Handsworth), The Grapes, The Manor Castle, The Railway (Brightside), the Sheffield Tap, The Travellers Rest (Oughtibridge) and The White Lion. A1sj4w9o4AL._SL1500_ There is currently discussion regarding the creation of a local list of Sheffield pub interiors which, whilst not of national or regional importance, nevertheless contain elements of historic interest like some old fixtures and fittings or parts of their original layout. Examples could include: Dog & Partridge, Fagans, The Shakespeare Hotel (Heeley), Shakespeares (West Bar) and The Wellington (Shalesmoor). There are a number of other pubs who have distinctive historical exteriors. These include the Dog & Partridge, Bloo88 (Hallamshire Hotel) and The Ship Inn. I’d be grateful for more examples of pubs with distinctive historical features. Please email information to dpickersgill1@gmail.com.  

Angel at Spinkhill update

Posted on by Andy Cullen
A local group is hoping to make a bid for the Angel during the ACA (Asset of Community Value) moratorium period. They are in the midst of discussions with a few interested parties regarding working with them to realise a shared vision and are happy to talk to other potential major partners. The ‘Save The Angel’ group is open to offers of help and will undertake to explore all possible opportunities that they believe will best serve the village of Spinkhill and the wider community.  Contact: savetheangel.spinkhill@gmail.com

Inn Brief

Posted on by Andy Cullen
In early February, the Royal Oak at Deepcar was taken on by Jeana and Simon from the nearby Wharncliffe Arms as a food/real ale outlet to be run by the two of them, in parallel with the Arms. Two new handpumps have been installed, initially providing Bradfield beers. – The Hill Top Sports & Social Club in Dronfield is now admitting CAMRA members, just show your membership card to be signed in as a guest. – Plans to turn the former Vine Inn on Cemetery Road into four three-bedroom properties have been approved by Sheffield Council. The development includes a two-storey rear extension. – Amended plans to knock down The Wheel pub on Plumbley Hall Road in Mosborough and build seven homes were conditionally approved at a council planning meeting on 17th February. – The Timbertops and Rivelin Valley Hotel are the latest two pubs reported to be for sale, freehold. – The Peaks Inn at Castleton has now reopened under new management. – The Wanted Inn at Sparrowpit has reopened as a freehouse. – The Norfolk Arms on Dixon Lane now has real ale. – Brewdog Sheffield is now open on Devonshire Street, as expected no real ale and fairly expensive prices, however there is plenty to keep the craft keg fan happy. – Mick and Denise are leaving the Castle Inn at Bradway at the end of March and celebrated their last month there by offering all beers at £2.50 a pint. They have chosen not to renew the Enterprise Inns lease, with the pub company apparently having no plans to invest anything in the pub. – The Horns in Holmesfield has closed again and is boarded up, Enterprise Inns has had a number of offers to buy this pub that has been put on the market freehold, the majority of which according to the parish council involve plans for residential development. – Chesterfield CAMRA’s Pub of the Season is the Chesterfield Alehouse micropub on West Bars, a few minutes walk from the town’s market place. – Hallowes Golf Club in Dronfield now has real ale on the bar.

Award winners gallery

Posted on by Andy Cullen
Possibly unusually for a consumer campaign group, we are at our happiest as a branch when we are celebrating what is good in the world of beer on our patch.

Pub of the Month March 2014

Our March Pub of the Month award was presented to the Dog and Partridge on Trippet Lane, Sheffield City Centre on an evening of good beer, music, buffet (including Connor’s excellent home made hot scotch eggs!) a raffle and a space hopper. B Feb-March 2014 006 Alt

Dronfield  Pub of the Year

Our Dronfield sub branch meanwhile has awarded their Pub of the Year to the Travellers Rest in Apperknowle on an enjoyable evening that showed off what the pub does – the pub was busy with both locals and CAMRA members from further afield enjoying a friendly proper pub atmosphere, open fire, massive range of real ales and ciders – plus free samples of their entire cheese range and pork pies. This is the only food offered in the Travellers other than crisps etc and a platter of 2 generous portions of speciality cheese, regular size pork pie, pickles and crackers can be enjoyed for £5.50.

Tramlines Special Award

We also presented a special award to Tramlines Festival. This award winning music festival, dubbed the urban Glastonbury, takes over Sheffield City Centre for a long weekend each July with a main stage on Devonshire Green and a number of other key stages in various venues, supported by a very busy programme of free gigs in pubs and bars in the area. A free ‘busker bus’ service, with live music aboard, links the various parts of the festival which also takes in Endcliffe Park and Kelham Island. The fairly unique thing about Tramlines from our interest though is the beer. Most music festivals aren’t exactly known for good beer, however Tramlines makes an effort in this area too. Each year as part of the publicity in the build up to the festival, they choose a local brewery to produce the official Tramlines real ale and a launch event is held. The beer is available at all the outdoor music and entertainment stages including Devonshire Green,  Barkers Pool and the Peace Gardens, the blues venue and various pubs. Additionally the blues venue holds a mini beer festival and of course most of the pubs and bars taking part also have good beer! We are told this is inspired by the fact the festival organisers office is full of beer drinkers and they point to the two venues they are involved with all year round – The Harley Hotel and the Queens Social Club, both of which have beer from local brewers. Past Tramlines beers have been brewed by Sheffield Brewery Company and Bradfield Brewery, last year it was Abbeydale’s turn, who invited Sheffield & District CAMRA along with the Tramlines organisers, including festival director Sarah Nulty. This years Tramlines Festival is to be held from the 25th to 27th July, wristbands are £12 per day which gets you into all the pay venues, more details can be found on their website.

Wetherspoons Spring Beer Festival

Posted on by Andy Cullen
The JD Wetherspoons pubs across our area are joining in the chain’s latest International beer festival, which runs from 28th March to 13th April. This sees  a selection of 50 real ales offered on rotation from breweries across the UK, 10 of which have been brewed by guest brewers from around the world. Wetherspoons have produced a 36 page booklet for their beer festival which can be picked up in the pubs or downloaded from their website, this gives you all the background to the guest brewers and lists of all the featured beer with tasting notes, numbered 1-50 so you can tick off the beers you have tried and play beer bingo! The beers from the international guest brewers always create a talking point at the bar, not only because their beers are not often seen in a cask conditioned format but they are generally doing something a bit interesting, different and extreme, often at a host brewer that can be quite traditional and conservative! Wetherspoons Intl fest Spring 14  

Dronfield Arms food latest

Posted on by Andy Cullen
The Dronfield Arms has had a change of direction on the food front. The Vault restaurant is no more, this room is now available for private hire, and the kitchen has been fitted with a pizza oven. The new chef’s food offering is primarily gourmet pizzas and pies and served 7 days a week from pub opening time until 9pm (6pm on Sundays). There is a special offer of 2 pizzas for £10 on Mondays. To view the new bar menu visit their website.

Sheffield Brewery Co.

Posted on by Andy Cullen
Our latest special is a 3.8% golden bitter brewed in collaboration with the Sheffield Eagles. Champions Ale is hopped with Bobek and Amarillo and is a light, hoppy session ale perfect for enjoying whilst watching a game of rugby. eagles We’re proud to announce that we picked up two awards at the Rotherham Real Ale and Music Festival – a bronze medal in the Bitter category for Crucible Best and another bronze in Best Bitters for Forgemasters. We’re also delighted to be one of the five nominees in the Exposed Magazine awards Best Sheffield Brewery category.